National briefs

February 9, 2013 12:38 AM

FILE - This undated publicity photo released by DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox, shows Daniel Day-Lewis, center rear, as Abraham Lincoln, in a scene from the film, "Lincoln." A Congressman who saw a flaw in the movie "Lincoln" says he is pleased the screenwriter has conceded an inaccuracy in its portrayal of an 1865 vote on slavery. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat who represents eastern Connecticut, said Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, he is still hoping that a correction can be made before the film is released on DVD. (AP Photo/DreamWorks, Twentieth Century Fox, David James, File)DreamWorks and Twentieth Century

February 9, 2013 12:38 AM

'Lincoln' screenwriter concedes inaccuracy

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The screenwriter for the movie "Lincoln" has conceded taking some liberties in its portrayal of a 19th-century vote on slavery, but he said his changes adhered to widely accepted standards for the creation of historical drama.

A congressman who pointed out the flaw, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., said Friday that he was pleased screenwriter Tony Kushner acknowledged that Connecticut congressmen did not vote against a constitutional amendment outlawing slavery, as depicted in the film. He said he hopes a correction can be made before the film is released on DVD.

"My effort from the beginning has been to set the record straight on this vote," Courtney said.

Courtney took issue with a scene that shows two Connecticut congressmen voting against the 13th amendment.

He asked the Congressional Research Service to investigate, and it reported that all four Connecticut congressmen backed the amendment in a January 1865 vote.

DA: Motive for Alabama bunker standoff still unclear

MIDLAND CITY, Ala. -- Authorities may never know why a south Alabama man killed a school bus driver and held a little boy hostage for six days in an underground bunker, a prosecutor said Friday.

Jimmy Lee Dykes, 65, wanted to go on live television to make a statement, said District Attorney Kirke Adams, but he never told negotiators exactly what he wanted to say.

"He never let on what his message was going to be," Adams said in an interview with the Associated Press.

Adams said the man was due in court the day after the standoff began for a hearing on a menacing case filed in December after he allegedly fired a gun at neighbors.

Adams said officials aren't sure even the menacing charge was the reason for the standoff.

"We had no contact with him since his arrest before this happened," Adams said.

Earth-observing satellite to launch from California

LOS ANGELES -- Carrying on a four-decade tradition, a new Earth-observing satellite is set to provide another watchful eye over our planet's glaciers, forests, water resources and urban sprawl.

If all goes as planned, the Landsat satellite will be launched into orbit Monday aboard a 200-foot-tall Atlas V rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base along California's central coast.

It would be the eighth such satellite in a series designed to continuously track natural changes and society's influence on Earth's resources.

Since the maiden launch in 1972, the satellites have been providing "uninterrupted observations," David Jarrett, program executive at NASA headquarters, said during a prelaunch news conference on Friday.

More Marines charged over corpse urination video

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Two more Marines face criminal charges over a 2011 YouTube video showing members of a scout sniper platoon urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Marine Corps announced Friday that Sgt. Robert W. Richards faces charges including dereliction of duty and violating orders. Military prosecutors say he filmed himself and others urinating on the corpses.

Capt. James V. Clement faces charges that include conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman for failing to properly supervise junior Marines and making false statements to investigators.

No date has been set for the hearings for Richards and Clement, which will be held at Camp Lejeune, N.C.